Parks and Other Recreation Areas

News about Parks and Other Recreation Areas, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 23, 2015

Building Blocks column; construction of Public Square park, which will be built on top of Long Island Railroad's West Side Storage Yard as part of massive Hudson Yards project, poses many difficulties including creating suitable environment for plants to grow despite extreme heat rising from trains below. MORE

Jul. 15, 2015

Squibb Park Bridge, which zigzags down from Brooklyn Heights neighborhood to Brooklyn Bridge park, has been closed for repairs for nearly a year with no definite signs of reopening. MORE

Jul. 9, 2015

Building Blocks column; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio must choose side in debate over proposed shopping mall in Willets Point, Queens; might side with Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, which has ruled that Citi Field parking lot is parkland and may not be taken for private commercial enterprise, or could choose to back developers and administration of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in hopes that plan will someday include affordable housing units. MORE

Jun. 14, 2015

New York Philharmonic celebrates 50th anniversary of its parks concerts this summer; city officials and musicians share how this outdoor music series became an integral part of New York City summer season. MORE

Jun. 12, 2015

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's proposed budget allocates $1.27 billion to parks, but critics say it does not solve maintenance problems and lacks plan for new parkland; they are concerned he is not very interested in city's parks, but City Hall officials defend his record. MORE

May. 24, 2015

Op-Ed article by Christopher Solomon deplores fact that Washington State is offering 'glamping,' or glamorous camping, options in its public parks; questions propriety of segregating parks by visitors' wealth in an age of rising income inequality; points to decline in state funding of public parks as reason why states are beginning to offer such services. MORE

May. 10, 2015

The Ethicists column panel answers questions about how to handle nanny who drinks heavily and laws governing dogs in parks. MORE

Apr. 26, 2015

Ginia Bellafante Big City column notes stepped-up police presence at Brooklyn Bridge Park after shooting at Pier 2, only serious crime reported in park's five-year history; park has expanded over years and broad spectrum of visitors now reflects diversity of borough. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Tennessee Gov Bill Haslam signs controversial measure that prohibits local municipalities from barring people with handgun carry permits from bringing firearms to public parks, playgrounds and sports fields. MORE

Apr. 22, 2015

New York City Parks Department has shortened time needed for completion of parks projects by several months thanks to initiatives of Commissioner Mitchell J Silver, who hopes to eventually shorten project durations by average of one year. MORE

Mar. 8, 2015

With the court finally free of slush and ice, a group of friends played handball at Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Manhattan on Sunday. MORE

Mar. 8, 2015

Eastern coyotes have taken up permanent residence in a handful of New York City parks, with three Bronx parks boasting full coyote families; animals have prompted anxiety among some visitors, but Urban Park Rangers are pushing to preserve their new homes. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

St Mary's Park, 35-acre park in South Bronx that has long suffered from neglect and decay, is slated to receive $1.5 million for playground renovation under new initiative led by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; park is a stark example of how decay in low-income areas can carry a profound social cost. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Op-Ed article by Christopher Solomon underscores little-known fact that recreational activities like hiking and skiing disrupt natural environment, so much so that outdoor recreation and tourism is fourth-leading reason species are listed as endangered; suggests that there should be more restrictions on outdoor recreational activities. MORE

Feb. 12, 2015

Hudson River Park Trust approves lease agreement with Pier 55 Inc, group controlled by Barry Diller that plans to create $130 million park and performance space above the Hudson River at 13th Street; project, which has encountered some skepticism from residents and environmentalists, will still have to receive approval from the Army Corps of Engineers and the State Dept of Environmental Conservation. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Destruction of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, warehouse in recent fire may pave way for New York City to make good on promise to build nearby waterfront park, to be called Bushwick Inlet Park; deal was made in 2005 when large section of Williamsburg and Greenpoint were rezoned to allow for new luxury apartment buildings, but only corner of park has been constructed. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Residents of South Bronx meet with New York City Parks Department to suggest improvements to Lyons Square Playground, one of 35 parks and playgrounds chosen for Mayor Bill de Blasio's Community Parks Initiative; similar meetings will be held in each community where neglected parks are to be refurbished. MORE

Jan. 11, 2015

Claire Martin Prototype column examines proliferation of so-called parklets, small parking areas that are transformed by businesses into outdoor spaces; observes that while parklets are often open to the public, they are usually established in order to attract customers and brighten the streetscape outside of businesses; notes that at least 72 have appeared worldwide, in addition to the 51 in San Francisco. MORE

Jan. 7, 2015

Bureau of Land Management announces new restrictions on rope-swinging from rock arches in desert canyonlands outside Moab, Utah. MORE

Jan. 4, 2015

Group of Bronx residents, train enthusiasts and historians is working to open up some of borough's little-used or abandoned railroad tracks for recreational use MORE

Dec. 29, 2014

Residents of Ward 8 area of Washington, DC, which includes Anacostia neighborhood, are concerned about $45 million plan to change 11th Street Bridge into park and possibility that it may aid gentrification; park could be of both national significance and benefit, and aid in rejuvenating Anacostia River. MORE

Dec. 25, 2014

Sarah Maslin Nir Nocturnalist column; exclusive Gramercy Park opens to public for one hour in traditional Christmas Eve event. MORE

Dec. 19, 2014

Several high-profile New York City parks, including Central Park, Bryant Park, Battery Park, and High Line, have taken cue from zoos and botanical gardens and are now offering branded merchandise. MORE

Dec. 1, 2014

Op-Ed article by nonprofit expert David Callahan examines proposed park along Manhattan's shoreline, conceived and largely financed by billionaire Barry Diller; notes park is only the latest example of how private funding has displaced a hollowed-out public sector in building and caring for public spaces; contends while philanthropy is welcome, power shift is part of a larger story about rising inequality and shrinking democracy. MORE

Nov. 26, 2014

Neighborhood activist groups Asphalt Green and Pledge 2 Protect take issue with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to reopen Upper East Side garbage transfer station just north of Gracie Mansion; have raised money and bought television time for ad campaign against de Blasio, saying sanitation trucks using access ramp that bisects adjacent park will endanger pedestrians. MORE

Nov. 22, 2014

Editorial expresses reservations about New York City's acceptance of plan by billionaire Barry Diller to transform Pier 54 into Hudson River Park; says Diller's $170 million offer to finance park is generous, but notes public was not consulted and potential environmental impact of has not been fully examined; laments that short supply of public money for such projects leaves city officials inclined to accept private money without question. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Billionaire Barry Diller agrees to provide $130 million as part of his effort to construct a futuristic park atop platform off Hudson River shoreline near 14th Street in Manhattan; proposal would involve conversion of dilapidated Pier 54, and has the support of Gov Andrew M Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio; 2.4 acre park would include a series of wooded nooks and three performance venues. MORE

Nov. 15, 2014

Number of homeless people on New York City's streets has risen in 2014, after a decade in which number had fallen by almost 25 percent; uptick has resulted in growing number of homeless encampments in city's parks, traffic squares and plazas, leading to tensions with neighboring communities. MORE

Nov. 5, 2014

Mission Peak in Fremont, Calif, has become a favorite destination of hikers; every weekend 1,500 to 2,000 people come to climb it, but there are only 42 parking spaces; it is in a community of $2 million villas whose residents thought they were buying serenity, and now find hundreds of hikers parking along their streets; park district that oversees peak is considering fees and permits to limit access. MORE

Nov. 3, 2014

Lyons Square Park in the Bronx, in the shadow of the Bruckner Expressway, is one of 35 neighborhood parks set to share an infusion of $130 million as part of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Community Parks Initiative; program will rebuild neglected parks and playgrounds in low-income neighborhoods, and is considered a first step in addressing inequities in the parks system. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Michael Kimmelman Critic's Notebook asserts that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's $130 million initiative to fix 35 small community parks does not go nearly far enough; says that New York City has nearly 2,000 parks, and contends Parks Department sorely lacks enough full-time employees to maintain them. MORE

Oct. 20, 2014

Central Park Conservancy's Five Borough Crew is training parks department workers in turf care at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn; nonprofit group started program with team of gardeners to share its expertise with 10 parks across city; idea is to impart the strategies and techniques that have served Central Park's lawns so well. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

Genuine park views in New York City can be had for less than eight-figure price tags; search of online listings for apartments with park views in Manhattan and Brooklyn, reveals more than a few could be found for around $1 million or less, putting feature within reach of some average buyers. MORE

Oct. 16, 2014

City officials visit North Brother Island in Manhattan's East River, which has remained abandoned and unused since 1963, to see whether it can be recast as a public space; hospital on island was used for quarantine until the 1940s, and afterwards as a treatment center for drug addicts. MORE

Oct. 14, 2014

Private proposal from Trust for Public Land and Friends of the QueensWay presents a kaleidoscope of possibilities for abandoned Long Island Rail Road railway in central Queens; plan lays out vision for a 3.5-mile linear park, to be called the QueensWay, that would be the borough’s version of Manhattan's wildly popular High Line. . MORE

Oct. 8, 2014

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces $130 million Community Parks Initiative aimed at correcting disparities among city’s more than 1,700 parks and playgrounds; parks department has chosen 35 sites for upgrade based on income levels, population density and population growth in surrounding neighborhoods. MORE

Oct. 8, 2014

Editorial supports New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to spend $130 million to improve 35 of city's most neglected parks and playgrounds; holds that money, while it will not fix inequality in city's green spaces, is step in right direction; applauds de Blasio and parks commissioner Mitchell Silver for offering vision of city that spreads green to poorer neighborhoods. MORE

Oct. 7, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to announce an ambitious initiative that will channel some $130 million into 35 tattered parks and playgrounds in low-income neighborhoods across New York City; parks equity plan comes after months of wrangling over how to finance the initiative. MORE

Oct. 4, 2014

New York City Parks Dept is assessing the challenges associated with cleaning up four dozen lakes and ponds in city parks, including Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, where excessive algae has turned water a sickly yellowish-green and runoff from nearby expressways is filled with pollutants. MORE

Sep. 7, 2014

FYI column answers questions about Gorman Park in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood and Major Mark Park in Jamaica, Queens. MORE

Aug. 18, 2014

Side Street column on Dred Scott Bird Sanctuary, aviary haven just south of 170th Street in Bronx; resident Troy Lancaster transformed lot into park in 1990s, and sanctuary is now part of city's Parks and Recreation Dept. MORE

Aug. 1, 2014

Several theater company directors, producers and actors discuss the perils and pleasures of performing plays outdoors in parks around New York City. MORE

Jul. 31, 2014

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column; ghost rail bed left over from Long Island Rail Road Rockaway Beach line, which runs for three-and-a-half miles between Rego Park and Ozone Park, Queens, is subject of debate over what to do with it; some advocates suggest restarting train line along tracks, while another group imagines public park in spirit of successful High Line in Manhattan. MORE

Jul. 25, 2014

Brooklyn Bridge Park, covering more than one mile of park space along East River, is about two-thirds complete, stretching from Dumbo to Atlantic Avenue. MORE

Jul. 4, 2014

Each performance in New York Philharmonic's annual Concerts in the Parks series requires intense planning, vast amounts of equipment and small army of workers behind the scenes. MORE

Jul. 2, 2014

East Brooklyn Congregations, coalition of churches and nonprofit groups, is using tactics associated with the civil rights movement to press officials to fix two neighborhood parks; parks are emerging as a flash point in debate over how public and private resources are distributed across city. MORE

Jun. 29, 2014

Ginia Bellafante Big City column holds discussion of condition of New York City's parks inevitably leads to complicated questions about race and class; notes Brooklyn Bridge and Prospect Parks, with independent funding streams and nearby high-priced real estate, are largely spotless on summer Monday mornings; contends lower-income residents living near Riverside Park are forced to put up with mountains of garbage and noisy late-night gatherings that go seemingly unnoticed by New York Police Dept. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Independent advocacy group New Yorkers for Parks releases study revealing that other agencies deliver projects faster than New York City Parks and Recreation Dept; report describes capital projects that drag on from the planning stages and through construction. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

Developer Two Trees is offering 11 acres of land in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on site of decaying Domino Sugar refinery, for public use as a park until condominium construction begins there; move is intended to appease local opposition to project; public use will end when park closes on September 1 and construction begins. MORE

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